Thanks for the help and guidance!

[kamikaze1a]

Fired up the pot lastnight and cast my first bullets. By way of all the posts and advice I've received here, I "thought" I knew what I was doing. The first hundred or so looked like crap and I was thinking that maybe I've got in over my head... I kept pouring and remelting the ugly bullets and unfortunately, just about all were ugly. I couldn't figure it out. The melt temp was correct, the molds were clean and lubed, I had even preheated the mold! I kept pouring and remelting and then...they started to look like boolits. Near the end of the pot, I was getting an occasional 6 good ones and most times, most were good and even got frosted boolits. The only thing I can think of is that my mold was just simply not hot enough. I would have thought that it would have heated up after a few pours but I guess I learned differently. THANKS EVERYONE!

Couple of footnotes, I'm using a Lee Pro 4 and getting the rhythm of the bottom pour was not easy. Lot's of short pours and even more overflows but I'm getting it. Also, the darn valve insists on dribbling... Tonight, tummble lube time!

[docone31]

There is a slot on the top of the valve on the pot. When it drizzles, close it down and turn it with a screwdriver. That keeps most of the dribbling to a minimum. There will be some dripping.
It sounds like you are in the good, faster than I was. My first casting session, I had a bonanza of good castings. It was the Lee 200gn flat nose .452. Good easy casting.
My next one was the 311-185C. That one was miserable. Wrinkles, short pours, it went on, and on.
I got a lot of help here. I then got some real successes. No broken windows from tossing the mold out them.
It takes more than it would seem, but, once you get it dialed in, it is second nature.
Good luck.

[454PB]

I doubt that anybody gets perfect boolits the first time they cast. Just remember it's better to have the mould and melt too hot than too cold. You could cast for days with the temperatures too low and never get a decent boolit. Once you get a feel for proper temps, you're on your way!

Another tip for the Lee bottom draw pots is to use a nail to clear the nozzle when it starts to drip or you notice reduced flow. This must be done while the pot and melt are up to temperature, so you'll have to use a pair of pliers to hold the nail. Open the valve, ream it with a 3/4" finishing nail, and let the molten lead flow out onto the aluminum base. It can then be returned to the pot.

[kamikaze1a]

After more casting sessions, I have a new question regarding too high temp. From my fishing sinker casting experiences, I think one of the indicators would be lead leaking between the mold halves. What would be another sign? I've noticed when my Lee TL mold gets real hot, the surface of the micro grooves get a rough texture. Is that a sign or what could be causing that rough finish? It's not "frosting" but rather an almost crystaline surface... leaving the mold open to cool for a minute of two resolves the prblem but will return after a few more quick pours. Thanks!

[Boerrancher]

That almost crystaline surface is Frosting. If your boolits are coming out of the mold with a good fill out, and the proper diameter, don't worry too much about it, it will help the lube hold on better. What you are describing is how I like to cast mine, some my argue that the alloy and the mould are too hot when this happens, but I tend to get better consistency of both wt, and dia when I cast that hot. If you don't like that and don't want to slow down your pace, have another mould ready to go and when that starts happening, start filling the second mould before you cut the sprues and drop the boolits on the first one.

Also if you want to stop your lee from dripping, snap a pair of vise grips on the valve rod. The extra weight will keep the light steel rod from wanting to float in the more dense lead alloy.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[Bigjohn]

Just one pointer out of what I picked up from your thread; you may or may not be doing it but its a thought.

DON'T add the miscast or sprue back to the pot immediately, wait until you need to refill. Reason for this is, the metal has cooled somewhat and requires energy (heat) to remelt, so it draws it for the surrounding material lowering the metal temperature.

Flux the mix well and see if you can get some of the rubbish off the bottom of the pot, this may help with the spout.

Keep going and good luck.

John

[kamikaze1a]

Perhaps what I thought was frost was actually not... I'll try to get some pics and post them. I had found that my boolits changed from shiny to a dull surface when the mold got hot. As the mold got hotter, it took on a dull and "frosty" look which I thought was what you all call frost. Later, as the mold got hotter, I found that the look took on an even rougher surface with teh crystaline surface. I'll try to get pics...

About the dripping, someone suggested adding weight to the rod handle and that worked well. And Joe, what you said about the valve rod "floating" in the molten lead makes a lot of sense!

John, I'll try fluxing and then scrape the bottom of my pot next time. Kind of interested to see if there is anything down there. Never actually tried sticking the spoon I all the way to the bottom...

Thanks everyone. Hope my camera can capture good closeup pics....

[454PB]

That crystaline appearance is the next progression in mould overheating. It's where I draw the line and begin dropping the temperature. The stage you described as "frosty" is where I like to cast, and staying in that temperature range requires adjusting the pot temperature and cooling the mould. I use a sponge or cloth in a cake pan half full of water. After the pour has been made and the sprue sets, touch the bottom of the closed mould to the wet towel for about 1 second. It will sizzle and spit, not a problem. Make sure there is no water on the mould before you open or refill it. Repeat as required to reduce the mould back to the "frosty" zone.

[runfiverun]

that dull grey is where i like to run my boolits.
follow what 454 said, sounds like you bout got it.

[kamikaze1a]

Sorry but my Wally World digital camera could not take clear close ups well enough to show the rough testure. I think though, what you all have said is solid and accurate. I need to invest in a 2nd mold to allow cooling time. Thanks guys!

[454PB]

Here's a tip on getting clear macro digital pictures with a cheap camera:
Set it on macro, then get as close as the camera will focus clearly. Take the picture at the highest resolution available, then use your photo editing to crop the picure to show only the object you want. That cropped picture can then be resized to a smaller version for posting here.